In The Press

Paul Wirhun. Under the Sea
18 Mar–5 May 2015 at Ivy Brown Gallery, New York

On March 18th, artist and artist Paul Wirhun’s “Under the Sea exhibition will make its premiere at Ivy Brown Gallery. This new body of work continues on a series of broken eggshells collages and paintings on found wood, exploring themes of finding oneself in deep water (the element that represents our emotions) since his last solo show here in 2014. Addressing how eggshells relate to water throughout the works in this exhibition, Wirhun notes: “Mythology teaches us that Eggs came out of the Chaos and broken eggshells are eggs returned to chaos and when epoxied on wood they can look like water, hence this show. “Under the Sea” is an exploration of where Broken, dyed and painted eggshells can take one down under into that deep emotional realm found only in the watery depths under the sea.”The exhibition will feature eggshell collages, paintings, assemblages, and new works on Ostrich and hen’s eggs. Mr. Wirhun will also teach a class in traditional egg talisman making, during which participants will be able to make their own batiked egg in time for the Spring Holidays of Easter and Passover.
Paul Wirhun

Raised in a Ukrainian-American family, Wirhun is known for his work on eggshells, employing ancient folk craft techniques (a form of batik), mixed with innovative uses of wax line drawing, brush painting, as well as scratching and etching. In 2000, Wirhun began creating collages from broken eggshells; destroying the intensely controlled process of carefully scripted design on the shell and turning studio detritus into stories. Through using broken shells and adhering them to a flat surface plane, he has reconfigured his preconceived worldview by playing in an unknown field of shattered illusions. The effect is a multi-layered composition that expresses deeply held feelings, while sparking the viewer’s imagination through the juxtaposition of color, design and textures.
Ivy Brown Gallery